Respect Festival

We are very pleased to announce that Respect is back! The date for this Respect Festival is 14th July 2018. We are returning to our roots at the Plymouth Guildhall; with world music, food and dance. Come and join us to celebrate 20 years of Respect in the City.

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Where To Find Us

The Plymouth & Devon Racial Equality Council (PDREC) is a charitable company limited by guarantee (incorporated on 18 August 1999 : Company No 3827654) and registered as a charity on (10 February 2004 : Charity No 1102012).

Why Report A Hate Crime?

First of all we wish to ensure that all hate incidents and crimes are properly recorded, and to increase community safety by reducing hate incidents and repeat victimisation. We aim to increase the trust and confidence of our black and minority ethnic residents to enable them to report hate incidents and crimes to the Police, statutory agencies and other voluntary organisations. Hate Incident and Crime statistics can be used to inform and influence the development of effective policy and good practice to tackle hate incidents and crimes.

We want to provide an improved response to victims and their families, and to enable appropriate criminal justice and civil remedies to be delivered to victims. Help us to overcome Hate Crime, report it…

• You will be taken seriously
• You don’t have to give your name
• You don’t have to go to court
• You can help to prevent the same thing happening to other people

How To Report A Hate Crime

p class="main_text">PDREC provides free confidential information, advice and support to victims and witnesses of Race Hate Incidents and Crimes.
If you have experienced hate crime, and feel unable to report directly to the Police or local authority we can act on your behalf and/or report the incident anonymously, you can report or discuss this please contact us, or you may just wish to talk to someone about your experiences.
If you know a victim of hate crime and you would like to report or discuss this please contact us.

What Is A Hate Crime?

Hate crime is a particularly serious crime, that can compromise the quality of life for individuals and communities. It damages people and the wider social fabric of our locality. The Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers have a nationally agreed definition of Hate Crime;

"A hate crime is any incident which is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by prejudice against a persons' race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, asylum seeker status, religion, sexual orientation , gender identity or disability".

A Hate incident is defined as;

"Any incident which may or may not constitute a criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, as being motivated by prejudice or hate".

The trauma experienced by victims of hate crimes is further aggravated as the perpetrators motivation is grouped with hatred, which results form their own prejudices. Underreporting of Hate Crime is very common because of a lack of confidence in the Police and Local Authorities. Sometimes people feel worried about reporting Hate Crime, fearing further victimisation. Victims are often dealing with trauma and distress, combined with fear and persecution. Hate Crime breeds suspicion, mistrust, alienation and fear and promotes isolation. PDREC is working towards the elimination of all forms of Hate Crime, challenging perpetrators and supporting victims.